1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tools used in wood turning, and more particularly to stabilizers for wood turning cutting tools.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wood chisels used in wood turning on a lathe typically comprise a flat, elongated bar with a handle at one end and a cutting blade at the other. The cutting blade of the wood turning tool has a shape that is tailored to its particular purpose. For example, a diagonal blade is used for removing relatively large portions of wood material in a slicing manner and is referred to as a skew. A rounded blade is used for finer cutting in a scraping motion and is called a scraper. Regardless of the shape of the cutting blade, the blade is typically beveled. The cutting blade is brought into engagement with the rotating wood, and thereby removes wood material and provides the desired form and surface finish.
In use, one edge of the elongated bar portion of the wood turning tool is rested on the tool rest of a lathe as the beveled cutting blade of the tool is moved into cutting engagement with the rotating wood. The approach angle of the tool to the wood may range from straight on, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, to more angular approaches closer alongside of the wood. Typically, the tool is rotated as it is employed on the wood in order to achieve the desired form and finish. During the rotation, the top or corner of the blade may be used as well as the center or middle portion of the blade, and all points in between. That is, the tool may contact the turning wood at any point along the cutting blade. Because of the rotation, the cutting point of the tool is rarely in the same vertical plane as the point at which the flat bar of the tool contacts the tool rest. Because of this vertical misalignment, a twisting torque is generated from the contact of the wood turning tool with the rotating wood, and this torque must be resisted by the person holding the tool. This can be dangerous, because the tool blade can twist or rotate in the user's hand and fly out of the user's grip, or the tool blade can rotate and dig into the rotating wood, causing the wood to fragment and fly through the air. It is desirable to provide greater safety for the user in turning wood, and provide greater control over the cutting operation.